Karlstejn Castle and Cesky Kras

Karlstejn Castle From Below

Today we took a completely different approach to sightseeing then the typical tourist would in Prague.  We left the city for the day to see a castle and hike in some remote wilderness.

Karlstejn Castle is a magnificent sight.  Located just 40 minutes southeast of Prague by train, the castle was built by King Charles IV in the 13th century as a "getaway" from Prague.

Our day began bright and early (6:30) so that we had enough time to make it to the train station and catch our 7:45 train.  After making friends with the ticket-checking lady on the train (Despite the fact that she spoke no English), we disembarked at Karlstejn around 8:40.  There were no people anywhere to be seen except for 5 other people getting off the train with us.  All of the shops were closed...apparently business does not start in the Czech Republic until around 10:00 am!  The hike from the train station to the castle itself was 20 minutes of circling up the mountain upon which the castle sits.  The castle is incredibly impressive and a perfect example of a baroque castle.  The picture (above) just doesn't do it justice.  Unfortunately, the tour of the castle was short, expensive, and slightly disappointing, but the castle was still incredible.

After touring the castle began the real adventure...hiking in the Cesky Kras National Park.  I was quite nervous about this part because we had no map and only a rough idea of where we were going.  But the hike was incredible.  Conflicting reports set the length of the trail at 8 km or 12 km (Considering how long the hike took, it was likely 12).  The forest itself looked remarkably like the Southeastern United States, yet it had a distinctively different smell to it, which I couldn't quite put my finger on.  We had our first encounter with Eastern European insects.  I thought Kati had some mud on her leg so I tried to flick it off only to find out it was a REALLY big fly-like creature that had bitten her.  I've never seen something like it before, but it appears to have been harmless and nothing to worry about. (I did my internet-searching due diligence to make sure)  We wound through the forest, up and down hills, until finally arriving at Svaty Jan Pod Skalou, a monastery that translates to St. John Under the Rocks.

Svaty Jan Pod Skalou is one of the many little-known sights on our itinerary.  St. John, fed up with the materialistic nature of the world and seeking God, wandered through the Cesky Kras forest until he stumbled upon a cave, where he began to reside.  His followers located him and began to reside in the cave with him as well.  The cave, composed of 5 rooms became a monastery.  Now, a proper monastery was built next to the cave.  It's said that the spring water from the cave has healing powers.  I don't know about that, but the cold spring water really hits the spot after a long day of hiking.  Sadly, the monastery was closed for renovations so we grabbed a beer at a nearby restaurant before catching a bus to the town of Beroun and finally taking a train back to Prague.

It was an exhausting day, but well worth it.  Kati and I walked around Prague tonight while it was all lit up.  It's quite the sight to see.  Despite my slight qualms with the city, it really is amazing.  It still hasn't quite sunk in that we're in Europe yet, maybe soon.  Tomorrow morning we're waking up early again and the three of us are taking a bus to Karlovy Vary (Where Casino Royale and Last Holiday were filmed).  I don't know how our internet connection will be there, so we may be incommunicado for the next few days.  If I have time, I'll write up some of the crazy-cool facts we've been learning about the Czech Republic and post them when I get a chance.  Until next time...